Ba-Bite brings fresh Middle Eastern to Piedmont Ave

Ba-Bite, a new Middle Eastern spot on Piedmont Ave., opened this week. Tucked into an unassuming storefront in the former Pizza Pazza location, it’s a restaurant that was more than a decade in the making, says owner Robert Gott.

Derived from the Hebrew word babait, which translates to “in the home,” Ba-Bite is the brainchild of Gott and his wife and executive chef Mica Talmor. The couple has spent the last 12 years running Oakland-based catering company Savoy Events. And while they’ve seen several former employees go on to restaurant success—the owners of Chop Bar worked at Savoy before launching in Jack London Square— they’ve always wanted to open up their own spot where, Gott says, they’d “be able to cook food that we want for everyone, not just what our wealthy clients order.”

As suggested by the name, Ba-Bite’s fare will be homey and comforting, with a heavy emphasis on featuring fresh, local produce. It will also have a strong Middle Eastern slant with Talmor being from Israel. (coincidentally, it’s not the only Middle Eastern restaurant eatery to open in Oakland this week with the debut of Oasis Grill on Grand Ave.)

The centerpiece of the menu are the composed salads—Salad Shirazi with romaine and sheep’s milk feta cheese and Beluga Salad with baby spinach and fresh goat cheese are two examples—to which diners can add such items as saffron lemon prawns, homemade falafel, seared salmon, or chicken shish kabob. There are also mezze small appetizers, hummus platters, and a changing selection of seasonal hot specials such as tagines, lamb kefta kebob, lamb ras el hanout.

Photo by Tamara Albaitis

The idea, Gott says, is to offer a casual, affordable eatery that features homemade food made with fresh, quality ingredients; a place to go several times per week, not just on a special occasion. Or, as they say on their website, they want to make their restaurant a “little home away from home for all … we hope to fill your belly in a way that would make your grandmother proud.”

Ba-Bite is open only for lunch this week, with dinner starting next week, and brunch on Mother’s Day weekend.